Dispensing tools, such as those used for dispensing caulk, adhesives, or like materials, are typically manually operated by squeezing or grasping a handle of the dispensing tool. The handle is typically connected to a rack via an advancing mechanism (e.g., a ratchet and pawl-type mechanism) to incrementally advance the rack and cause the caulk, adhesive, or like material to be discharged from a cartridge. Such manually operated dispensing tools can be difficult to control and strenuous, thereby fatiguing the user and possibly shortening the duration of time the manually operated dispensing tool may be used before the user requires rest.